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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/educatio...versity-bans-sombreros-as-racist-costume.html

University students have been banned from going to fancy dress parties dressed in sombreros and as members of the YMCA after they were branded racist.

The University of Birmingham guild of students has banned a number of fancy dress costumes as part of a crack down on what it claims is “discriminatory behaviour”.

The decision has left students threatening to boycott the guild after many were turned away for dressing as Mexicans or fictional characters or told to change their costumes.

There was also anger after a promotional video of Dave Charles, vice president for housing and community on the guild, emerged of him wearing a sombrero – believed to be filmed before the ban was announced.
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Student politics ftw.
 
I think there is something wrong with dressing as a stereotypical "Mexican" - but it's the same as dressing as a stereotypical "Canadian" or "Scot". Except that our society associates the dress of a highland Scot (kilt, sporran, blue face paint) with awesome and the dress of a Mexican (sombrero, poncho, big ol' moustache) with negative feelings, like laziness and illegal immigration.

Maybe the Guild of Students needs to consider their own racism. What's negative about being Mexican?
 
Universities are supposed to be bastions of free speech and expression ... that is less and less the case day by day. Ooops .. someone might possibly be offended by something .. it must be stopped!!!!!!
 
The same type of student's guild that would accuse a woman of aiming for the mother's cross if she is voluntarily pregnant.
 
LooseCannon said:
I think there is something wrong with dressing as a stereotypical "Mexican" - but it's the same as dressing as a stereotypical "Canadian" or "Scot". Except that our society associates the dress of a highland Scot (kilt, sporran, blue face paint) with awesome and the dress of a Mexican (sombrero, poncho, big ol' moustache) with negative feelings, like laziness and illegal immigration.

Maybe the Guild of Students needs to consider their own racism. What's negative about being Mexican?
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Jeremy Clarkson said that Mexicans are lazy and flatulent, and upset Mexico's ambassador to the UK. :p I don't see how comedy fancy dress can be seen as racist though. No sensible person in the UK would expect Mexicans to dress like that, nor do we still think that Native Americans dress like the guy from Village People. I'd be interested in seeing what the Guild of Students (I always hated that name) would do if a Mexican appeared wearing a poncho and sombrero.

There's no way of stopping the fancy dress culture of dressing up as a national stereotype. Even Prince Harry went to a part in an SS officer's uniform.
 
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